Zurich-based Earth simulation platform Jua has raised $11 million in a Series A funding round co-led by Ananda Impact Ventures and Future Energy Ventures, with support from existing investors including 468 Capital and Promus Ventures, as Vestbee was told.
- Jua was founded in 2022 in Zurich by Andreas Brenner and Marvin Gabler. The company develops an AI-based Earth simulation platform designed to improve forecasting for sectors where weather and physical system behavior have a significant economic impact, particularly in energy trading.
- The firm's core technology is a proprietary large-scale model, called a “Large Physics Model,” trained on petabytes of raw data to simulate atmospheric and environmental dynamics.
- Jua uses its own AI trained on raw environmental data. This allows it to deliver faster, more detailed forecasts for key factors like wind, sunlight, and temperature.
- Energy traders use Jua’s platform to predict supply and demand shifts and price changes. It offers frequent updates, forecasts up to 20 days ahead, and tools to assess risk. Tests show Jua’s model outperforms both standard forecasting systems and AI models from major tech firms.
- In 2024, Jua raised $16 million in a seed round backed by Siraj Khaliq, Mehdi Ghiassani, Ola Torudbakken, 468 Capital, Green Generation Fund, and Promus Ventures.
Details of the deal
- The investment was co-led by Ananda Impact Ventures, a Munich-based VC firm managing €200 million across four Core Impact Funds, and Future Energy Ventures, a Berlin-based venture capital firm focused on the energy transition.
“Jua is building one of the most important technological foundations for our planet's future. The team combines world-class talent in AI and Earth science with the technical depth to execute at scale. We invest in ventures with deep, systemic impact: Jua is a standout example," claims Florian Erber, General Partner at Ananda Impact Ventures.
- Existing investors, including 468 Capital and Promus Ventures, also participated in the round.
- The funding will accelerate Jua’s commercial rollout of its AI-powered Earth Intelligence Platform, helping energy traders improve forecasting and decision-making. It will support scaling within the energy sector and expanding into new markets, enhancing the platform’s capabilities and market reach.
